Automatic chemical fire-extinguishing apparatus



G. WENZELMANN.

AUTOMATIC CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1919.

1,390,945, PatentedSept. 13,1921.

7 '6' a Qr f) INVENTUR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE WENZELMANN, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

i To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUs'rAvn WENZEL- MANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galesburg, in the county of Knox and state of Illinois, have invented a new and any liquid, which, when thrown upon the fire or subjected to a temperature somewhat above 180 degrees, is rapidly converted into a gas in the presence of which fire cannot continue to burn. Its purpose is to provide means for containing said liquid and holdin it in reserve and means for automatica ly releasing same whenever the temperature of the room, in which it is placed, is materially raised by an incipient fire.

The devices which my invention provides for this purpose are preferably suspended from the ceilings of rooms to be protected, so as to be most quickly subjected to the action of heat in case of fire. To insure prompt action in all parts of a room, units of my apparatus may be attached to the ceilin at as man points as may be thought desira le, prefera 1y on the basis of one unit for each 50 to 100 square feet of ceiling.

The accompanyin drawings show one very simple application of the principles of mgq invention.

igure 1 shows a complete unit of my automatic chemical fire extinguishing apparatus, with the parts in normal position for containing and reserving the fire extinguishing liquid. Fig. 2 is another view of same. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the container. Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of the fusible link. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the container on line a-a, Fig. 1. And Fig. 6 shows the complete apparatus in osition for discharging its contents.

ach art is always designated by the same re erence character wherever shown or described in the drawings and specification. 1 represents a bottle or other container for the fire extinguishing liquid. It is provided with a lug, 2, on one side near the bottom, said lug being pierced by opening3 extending in a direction substantially parallel to a tangent line drawn through that point on the surface of container 1 at which the center of the inner surface of lug 2 is attached to container 1, said opening 3 lying wholly outside of said tangent line.

AUTOMATIC CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTIN'GUISHING arram'rus.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept 13, 1921,

Application filed June 26, 1919. Serial No. 306,860.

' Container 1 is also provided with a projection 4, near the top of same, having an upstanding extension 5, in hook form. 6 is a hanger adapted to support container 1. It has suitable lugs 7, 7 provided with screw holes for attaching hanger 6 to the ceiling or other surface from which it is to be suspended. The lower end of hanger 6 is provided with lugs 8, 8 spaced apart to allow lugI2 of container 1 to be placed between. oles through lugs 8, 8 are made to register with opening 3 in lug 2, so that pin 9 may be inserted, giving container 1 a hinged connection with hanger 6. Pin 9 is held inplace by means of key 10. The upper part of hanger 6 is extended at 11 and provided with hook 12. A fusible link 13, of any of the well known patterns, connects hook 5 on container 1 with hook 12 on the hanger, thereby holding container 1 in an upright position, as fully shown in Fig. 1. A cover 14, of any convenient, loosefitting design, is placed on container 1 to keep out dust and to prevent evaporation of the contents. Cover 14 is provided with an eye 15 for the attachment of one end of guard chain 16, the other end of said chain being attached to the upper part of hanger 6 or to the surface from which said hanger is suspended.

The apparatus thus provided is installed as follows :-Hanger 6 is suspended from a ceiling or other surface, being attached thereto by means of screws engaging lugs 7, 7, as described. Container 1, filled with the fire extinguishing liquid, is then mounted in hanger 6 by placing lug 2 between lugs 8, 8 and inserting pin 9 through the hole in lug 8, the opening 3 in lug 2 and the hole in lug 8; said container 1 being held in an upright position until link 13 is caused to connect hooks 5 and 12. Key 10 is then inserted in the end of binge pin 9. Finally cover 14 is placed over the top of container 1, completing the installation, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Any fire, starting under or near this apparatus, so installed, soon produces heat enough to melt the soft metal binder of fusible link 13 releasing hook 5 and leaving container 1 free to swing outward and downward on hinge pin 9.

When this motion is well started, cover 14 is forcibly removed from the top of container 1, guard chain 16 being given proper length to allow the free starting of container l, with its contents and cover, before cover 14 is restained thereby and so sepa rated from said container. Although cover 14 is not fastened in any way to container 1, this provision for its forcible removal is an important safeguard against any possible tendency of cover 14 to stick to the top of said container. It is obvious that the weight of container 1, together with its contents, when thus allowed to start from. the upright position of- Fig. 1, rapidly develops the momentum needed. for such forcible removal of or separation from cover 14. After its removal in this manner, cover 14 remains suspended on chain 16, in: convenient posi tion for use whenever container 1 is re-installed in its upright position. Container 1, thus released and uncovered, continues a. swinging motion on hinge. pin 9,. somewhat resembling the vibration of a. pendulum, and the liquid contained in same escapes gradu- 1 ally through the neck of the container and.

is thrown back and forth. over a considerable area by the swinging motion described.

Even if the'liquid fails to be thrown directly upon the fire, the temperature of the room will soon be sufiiciently high to convert the liquid into gas and smother the fire.

It will be understood that in a room where a sufficient number of units of my apparatus has been installed, fire cannot gain much headway before releasing the fire-extinguishing contents of at least a portion of said units.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An automatic fire extinguishing apparatus, comprising a support, a container connected to the support for swinging to a discharge position, fusible means for holding the container upright relative to the support, a cover for the container, and a connection between the cover and support to exert a pulling action on the cover after the container has moved from the upright position towardthe discharge position, whereby the inertia of the container in movement forces the cover from the container.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GUSTAVE VENZELMANN. 

